MacColl, Kirsty

British singer-songwriter (1959-2000), daughter of folk singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl. MacColl passed away following a boating accident in Mexico on December 18, after being struck by a speedboat that had entered an area reserved for swimmers. She is survived by two sons from her marriage to record producer Steve Lillywhite, who were swimming near her but were not physically injured. Witnesses report that her last act was to push one of her sons out of the way of the speedboad. MacColl had released her first new studio album in seven years, "Tropical Brainstorm," earlier in 2000. In addition to her solo work, she had worked with such acts as The Pogues ("Fairytale of New York"), Simple Minds, The Smiths ("Ask"), Morrissey ("Interesting Drug"), Big Country, The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, and Billy Bragg. MacColl is also known for writing the song "They Don't Know," which became a hit for Tracy Ullman. "Unpretentious, inimitable, writes like a playwright, sings like an angel." -- Billy Bragg